Friday, 30 January 2009

Heritage award for Cambodia specialist

The University of Sydney
30 January 2009

An organisation founded by the University of Sydney's Dr Dougald O'Reilly to protect Cambodia's cultural heritage has won one of the archeological world's most prestigious awards.

Dr Dougald O'Reilly accepted the The Archaeological Institute of America's Conservation and Heritage Management Award in Boston earlier this month for his work with Heritage Watch, an organisation he founded in 2003.

Dr O'Reilly said he established Heritage Watch "as a result of the increase in the destruction of Cambodia's cultural heritage. The organisation has implemented a whole range of projects to end the illicit excavation and trafficking of antiquities."

The organisation's focus is the Angkor, the World Heritage Site in Cambodia and location of the iconic temple Angkor Wat, with its main aim the promotion of responsible tourism.

One of its current projects is the Heritage Friendly Tourism Campaign, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of travellers practising responsible tourism when visiting sensitive archaeological sites.

Dr O'Reilly recently told the Sydney Morning Herald: "We also hope to discourage people from purchasing antiquities and to broaden their travel experience outside of just Angkor. Cambodia is an amazing and diverse country with much to offer, yet too few people leave Siem Reap where the temples of Angkor are located."

Heritage Watch has recently certified a number of businesses as being 'heritage friendly,' with banners, street signs and stickers helping travellers identify ethical companies.

Other projects on Heritage Watch's agenda include: Heritage for Kids, which will see educate children in the importance of heritage; and an online legal database of national and international legislation affecting the management of cultural resources in Southeast Asia.

Currently three Cambodian nationals work at Heritage Watch, along with a number of unpaid foreign volunteers. Dr O'Reilly says it is funded by various small grants and is trying to become self sustaining by publishing Touchstone, a heritage and responsible tourism magazine.

"I was, of course, very pleased that Heritage Watch received recognition from such a prestigious organization as the AIA and it is a credit to the hard work of all our volunteers and interns," Dr O'Reilly said on receiving the award.

The AIA said: "Heritage Watch has identified the major issues affecting both local and worldwide archaeological sites, including looting, the trade in illicit antiquities, tourism overload and rapid development that outpaces national policies to protect sites."

Contact: Kath Kenny
Phone: 02 9351 2261

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